Staff Retirement

Since Ohio public institutions do not participate in the federal social security system, employees have a choice regarding their retirement plans. Eligible staff members will be enrolled in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS). New employees have one hundred and twenty (120) days to make an election to opt out of the above plan and participate in the Alternate Retirement Plan (ARP).

OPERS is the state retirement program for staff. Staff contribute 10% of their salary each pay to the retirement plan, which is deducted on a pre-tax basis. The University also contributes to the staff member’s retirement plan based on 14% of his or her salary. Ohio Revised Code Section 3305.6(d) allows OPERS to withhold a portion of the employer’s contribution to offset any negative financial impact the OPERS Traditional Plan may experience by the offering of the alternative retirement plan. More information is available at the OPERS website. If you are considering returning as a re-employed retiree, please contact OPERS or see the OPERS fact sheet*.

If enrolling in OPERS, employees have 180 days from their eligible appointment date to elect enrollment in of the three OPERS plan options:

• Traditional Pension Plan (OPERS)
• Member-Directed Plan (OPERS)
• Combined Plan (OPERS)

Refer to the OPERS  publications for details regarding each of its retirement plan options. Enrollment in OPERScannot be changed while employed at Youngstown State unless you meet certain criteria.

Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP)

The Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) is an alternative to OPERS for eligible and staff. It provides a retirement investment program but does not offer benefits after retirement like OPERS. By participating in the ARP, employees must elect an investment provider from the list approved by Youngstown State University and the state of Ohio.

Effective July 1, 2022, staff contributes 10% of their salary each pay period to the retirement plan, which is deducted on a pre-tax basis. The University also contributes to the staff member's retirement plan based on 11.76% of his or her salary, and is required to contribute 2.24% of salary to OPERS finance unfunded liability. Ohio Revised Code Section 3305.6(d) allows OPERS to withhold a portion of the employer's contributions to offset any negative financial impact the OPERS Traditional Plan may experience by the offering of alternative retirement plan options (mitigating rate).

Participants in the ARP plan must choose a provider from the approved list and activate an account with the chosen ARP provider. Enrollment in the ARP cannot be changed while employed at Youngstown State. An employee may change their ARP provider at any time by returning an ARP Provider Change Form available online.

List of the current ARP vendors and contact information*

Summary of Eligibility

Employees enrolled in the OPERS retirement systems are considered to be “retired”, after application to and approval by their respective retirement system to receive retirement benefits. Employees participating in an Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP) are considered to be “retired” if they meet the age and years of service requirements of the applicable retirement system (OPERS) based on the employee’s position. 

In order to be eligible for sick leave conversion payout at retirement, an employee must meet the above “retired” criteria and the required years of service (10 or more years of active service with the University or a combination of 10 or more years of active service with the University together with other State of Ohio units as specified by law).

 For Retirement, University Post-Retirement benefits and Sick Leave Payout